Hichilema´s hand all over dirty Mopani deal-UKA
…´he must deny personal involvement publicly´
From virtual rally-14.04.24
President Hichilema has been challenged to deny personal involvement in the controversial Mopani Copper Mine (MCM) deal by the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) during the alliance´s first massive virtual public rally held Saturday beamed live beyond Zambian borders.
“We challenge President Hichilema to give an open and full disclosure on what his involvement in the Mopani transaction is in order to rest this matter because something is very wrong,” Sakwiba Sikota, the chair of UKA said during the rally that wracked up massive numbers of about 50,000 viewers in less than five hours.
“Why has there been so much secrecy in this transaction of an asset that belongs to Zambians,” Sikota, State Counsel asked, “why doesn’t the Minister of Finance (Situmbeko Musokotwane) know anything, refers everything to the Minister of Justice.”
Sikota said, “If the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Mines, the Minister of Commerce, the Minister of Information know nothing it means there´s gross fraud…its up to President Hichilema to speak to the public and answer questions unless he´s hiding something.”
UKA´s Edith Nawakwi said sadly, Zambia, a Christian nation is now under a President who doesn’t read the Bible, hence the reason he (Hichilema) can’t identify with the suffering of 64pc of Zambians that sleep hungry every night.
“Uyu Saulo (HH) nika bwalala (HH ´Saul´ is a thief) who has denied local lawyers a chance to earn money from the dirty Mopani deal and given it to South Africa´s Rothschild through his friends abroad,” Nawakwi said, “when local lawyers have the expertise and local knowledge to do the Mopani transaction but were disrespectfully excluded because he (HH) wanted to manipulate the deal for his friends and rob the wealth from Zambians.”
Nawakwi said the Dubai based IRH or International Resources Holding (IRH) “were never even shortlisted in the bogus Mopani sale out of the initial ten or the final four but they won the tender, how?”
Today “no Zambian knows how much Mopani was sold for” and it´s unlikely anyone will after three cabinet Ministers led by Finance Minister Musokotwane publicly pleaded ignorance as if the mine sold itself.
“I have asked how much money went into the treasury regarding this transaction but theres been no answer?” said Nawakwi.
She also decried President Hichilema´s decision to pawn toll gates built under President Edgar Lungu to a company whose owner is a friend of Mr Hichilema to build the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway using Zambian taxpayers’ money.
HIGH COSTS OF MEALIE MEAL AND SHORTAGES
Sikota said Mr Hichilema was guilty of a crime of selling of reserve food stocks cheaply and importing them back into Zambia cheaply after predecessor Lungu´s administrating painstakingly grew the resources from 2019 to 2020 just for the love of money without regard to the survival of Zambia in case of emergency.
“There´s a reason reserve stocks are called reserve stocks they are for emergencies in case of bad weather,” said Sikota, “but HH tells lies that puts lives at risk and expose poor Zambians in the path of hunger and death its unacceptable.”
BROKEN PROMISES HAUNT HICHILEMA
UKA´s Chishala Kateka of the new heritage party said with three years gone on Hichilema´s first term, it was clear the campaign promises he made were fake and won’t be achieved by 2026.
“MMD made promises to change things after UNIP and within six months but three years down the line all we have are stories from Mr Hichilema with no results,” said Kateka, “you cat grow the economy by giving your foreign mine friend owners tax breaks it’s impossible.”
UKA´s Reverand Dan Pule whose ministry hosted the virtual rally said, “the poorest of the poor in Zambia have been ignored under Mr Hichilema´s government and many are sadly going hungry hence the reason for immediate change.”
Harry Kalaba, Citizens First President fired up the virtual crowd when he said, “for the first time since independence all governance institutions starting from parliament, the judiciary, police and electoral commission are compromised as the democratic space shrinks in Zambia…no justice for Zambians.”
Kalaba said, “no one is free to speak or assemble as fear reigns in our country under Mr Hichilema´s regime that must change. We are not here to fight HH we are here to fight for a greater majority of Zambians.”
GIVEN LUBINDA SPEAKS FOR EDGAR LUNGU
Lubinda said sixth President Edgar Lungu´s desire is to see UKA grow strong and united, “because UKA is only as strong as its individual party members are strong.”
Lubinda said, “today Zambians are afraid to speak or assemble for fear of being arrested by Mr Hichilema´s brutal police because when the non-righteous rule the innocent suffer as its written in the bible.”
He said, “the only good thing is that ´its always dark before the light comes´ and people now know HH government means no good as seen by the unfortunate detention of Saboi Imboela, Jackson Silavwe and some journalists in Kafue including Innocent Phiri of KBNTV and Millenium´s Mwima.”
Lubinda challenged Mr Hichilema to tell Zambians were the money he realised from selling Zambian reserve maize stocks is any why “no 20% excise duty” was imposed on the illegal exports, as six million Zambians now face starvation.
The full video of the virtual rally necessitated by Mr Hichilema´s decision to deny the alliance opposition an opportunity to publicly assemble is available on the UKA Facebook page.
No single opposition party nor civil society have been allowed to hold public rallies since Hichilema assumed office three years ago, for the first time since independence in Zambia in 1964.
Dozens of Zambian opposition members have been arrested for speaking against Mr Hichilema while dozen others are facing court action.
The United States, European Union and other corporating partners that condemned the previous administration of President Lungu have remained silence in an apparent support gesture of the brutal Hichilema administration.
Ends.